Barnsley manager Gerhard Struber says he is hopeful the club will be able to agree a new contract with midfielder Alex Mowatt in the next few days.

The Tykes captain will be out of contract at Oakwell at the end of the current season - albeit with the club holding the option to extend that deal by a further 12 months - although it was recently revealed by the club's Chief Executive Dane Murphy that the club are in talks with the midfielder over a new deal to extend his stay in Yorkshire beyond the summer.

That is something that Struber too appears keen to make happen, and it seems he is keen to see that become reality sooner rather than later.

Speaking about Mowatt's contract negotiations ahead of his side's clash with Cardiff on Saturday, Struber was quoted by Yorkshire Evening Post writer Leon Wobschall as saying: "Alex is my captain and a big role model for the whole club. I hope he signs in the next days."

Mowatt joined Barnsley from Leeds in January 2017, and then moved to Oxford on a season-long loan the following summer.

After returning to Oakwell in the summer of 2018, Mowatt helped Barnsley win promotion from League One at the first time of asking in the 18/19 campaign, featuring in every league game the Tykes played that season.

In total, Mowatt has made exactly 100 appearances and scored 12 goals in all competitions for Barnsley, who currently sit 23rd in the Championship table, five points adrift of safety with ten games of the season remaining.

The Verdict

This is an interesting one.

When you look at his ability and influence on the side, you can certainly understand why Struber is keen to keep Mowatt at Barnsley.

However, you feel the midfielder himself will be keen to stay in the Championship beyond the end of this season, which will surely affect his thinking when it comes to deciding whether or not to put pen to paper on a new deal at Oakwell.

As a result, it seems that while Struber is keen to have this cleared up sooner rather than later, it may be some time yet until there is a clear indication of what Mowatt's long-term future will be, either at Barnsley or elsewhere.